


Public Relations

by KierenWrites



Series: Natasha & Her Guys [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aromantic Asexual Natasha Romanov, Aromantic Character, Asexual Bucky Barnes, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Clint Barton, Bisexual Steve Rogers, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Maybe a little angst, Multi, OT4, Polyamory, Trans Character, Trans Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 20:47:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14577345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KierenWrites/pseuds/KierenWrites
Summary: In which Steve is publicly outed and doesn't take it very well.Natasha, Bucky, and Clint are there to provide cuddles and support.





	Public Relations

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I just got inspired to write this and got in done in about two hours. Hope you like it :)
> 
> Dedicated to my friend Jae, who was feeling a little down about being trans today. Hope you like it <3

There are a lot of things that Steve can get away with, Natasha thinks as she watches the news, sees the reporter that Steve punched in the face. It had all gotten caught on camera: the reporter asking Steve about the fact that he had been born a woman, Steve’s face becoming a blank mask, and then the reporter starting to say something else before he got punched by Captain America. Bucky had been there to pull Steve away and end the impromptu interview, but Natasha almost wished she could have been there to witness it in person. 

She’s sitting in the living room of their apartment with Clint, who is just as disappointed as she is that they didn’t get to witness it. She can practically feel Steve’s disapproval from here. Bucky’s too, but she’s sure he’s more amused by the whole situation than anything else. Come to think of it, he might be annoyed that he didn’t get to punch the reporter. 

Clint leans back, throwing his legs over her lap. “How long till they get back, do you think?”

Natasha shrugs, knowing that any answer she gives him won’t be enough to reassure either of them that Steve is okay. They both know how hard it was for Steve to come out to them, let alone for him to be outed publicly like that. She isn’t even sure if any of the avengers besides her, Clint, and Bucky knew. Knowing Steve, she doubts it. 

“Bucky’s with him. He’ll be okay.”

If the look Clint shoots her is any indication he doesn’t believe that any more than she does. Steve has a really bad habit of bottling everything up until he explodes and it never ends well for anyone nearby when it happens. Not that any of them really have room to judge. The four of them aren’t the most talkative when it comes to their feelings. 

Natasha’s phone vibrates, but a glance at the screen tells her she shouldn’t answer it. Tony’s been trying to get ahold of her for the last hour or so, since they aired the footage of Steve punching out the reporter. She was sure he wanted to know what the hell was going on, but she didn’t plan on ever having that conversation with him. She wasn’t even sure if Steve was planning on talking to Tony about what had happened. Probably not. 

Clint grabs the remote and puts on some movie they’ve probably watched a hundred times before. She’s not really paying attention, lost in her thoughts and hoping that Steve is okay. She has no doubt Bucky would have texted either her or Clint if that weren’t the case. 

Natasha isn’t sure how long they wait before the door opens, but Clint is half asleep with his head in her lap while she cards her fingers through his hair when it finally does. She glances up, not quite sure what to expect, while Clint pushes himself up to follow her gaze. 

Steve smiles tiredly at them from the doorway, but she can tell he’s not as okay as he wants them to think. If the worried look in Clint’s blue eyes means anything, he’s not buying Steve’s act either. Bucky steps in behind Steve, shutting the door as quietly as he can. The silence that falls over them is more than a little stifling, but it doesn’t seem like any of them are sure how to break it. 

Natasha stands up, approaching Steve like one might a wounded animal. His gender has always been a sore subject for him and she knows he has to be on edge. Even Bucky, who knew him before his name was Steve, doesn’t seem to know what to say or do. None of them had ever expected anything like this to happen and it shows. 

Steve doesn’t back away, like she had been expecting, but maybe that’s because the only place to go would have been Bucky’s arms and he doesn’t really look like someone who would be comfortable with being touched just then. Natasha stops far enough away that he won’t feel trapped, and the relieved look he gives her tells her he appreciates it. 

“What do you need?”

She almost expects Clint or Bucky to say something else, but they don’t and she thinks maybe they’re just as lost as she is. 

Steve starts to shake his head, a look of panic flaring in those blue eyes of his before he pushes it down. He lifts his hand to run his fingers through his hair, something she recognizes as the nervous gesture it is. Natasha can’t help but notice that his hand is shaking, but if he isn’t going to say anything about it she isn’t going to either. He’s already uncomfortable as it is and she certainly doesn’t want to add on to that. 

They stand there for several long moments before Steve lets out a shaky breath and stumbles a step towards her. His hand finds hers right before he falls to his knees, bringing her down with him. He starts to stutter out an apology, but she just squeezes his hand and shoots him what she hopes is a warm smile. 

Steve tugs at her hand until she moves closer, sliding her free arm around his waist. She doesn’t ask if he’s okay, because it’s pretty clear he isn’t. She twines her fingers with his and presses a soft kiss against his forehead before she lowers herself into a sitting position and lets him lean against her. 

She sees Clint and Bucky moving out of the corner of her eye, but she can’t let her focus wander from Steve for long enough to consider what they might be up to. Luckily, she doesn’t have to wait long before finding out. Clint piles what seems like every pillow they own around her and Steve while Bucky drapes a blanket over Steve’s shoulders before taking a few other blankets and helping Clint arrange a nest around them. 

Bucky settles down behind Natasha, resting his chin on her shoulder while Clint curls up next to Steve, tracing random shapes on his thigh. They stay like that for so long Natasha loses count of the minutes before Steve speaks.  
His voice is rough with an emotion Natasha isn’t sure she wants to put a name to. She can only imagine how he must be feeling. “Thank you.” 

Natasha just presses another kiss to his cheek, while Clint leans his head against Steve’s shoulder and without looking she can tell Bucky is smiling at their boyfriend. “Hey, that’s what we’re here for, right?” 

Steve laughs softly, which seems to be the reaction Clint was looking for if the smile that lights up his whole face says anything. 

Bucky doesn’t say anything, but she figures that with Bucky and Steve’s history he doesn’t really need to. One of these days she’s going to convince Tony that the two of them have a telepathic connection and take a video of the fallout. She’s pretty sure she can get Bucky and Clint to help. Steve might take a little convincing, but she has no doubt that they can get him to agree. He can’t really say no to any of them. 

They don’t talk much over the next few hours, but they do lay down and get comfortable. Clint asks if Steve wants to watch a movie, but after a few minutes of not being able to pick a movie they decide to let Steve pick some music instead. 

Steve eventually does start to talk and once he starts it doesn’t seem like he can stop. He’s upset and wishes it hadn’t happened, but he’s glad to know all three of them will be there for him and have no plans to let him face the media alone. They’re even able to convince him to talk to Maria and Pepper to help him figure out how to handle things. He doesn’t know how to tell the rest of the avengers, but Bucky gives him a look and tells him to quit being stupid and that settles that. 

It’ll be hard, but anything worthwhile always is. In the end, Steve seems to think it might be for the best that he come out. If anything, maybe he can help other people to be okay with who they are. He is a very public superhero, after all. 

Clint makes a joke about how they should have all the avengers come out at the same time and gets hit with pillows by both Natasha and Bucky for his effort. Knowing the rest of their team, they would be more than willing to do it but Natasha doubts the world is really for a team of almost all lgbt superheroes.


End file.
